The Sound of Raiu: A Brief Sequel
by Maimi C
Summary: Part two of two. The ending. Hana survives her encounter with the hollow, but her mind is flooded with images and thoughts, confusing her. As her memories resurface she gets a glimpse at her form self, her former life. ... R&R please, this is the end of it all. Hope you enjoyed this story and The Sound Of Raiu. Thank you.
1. Chapter 1

Hana stared at the white walls. Her day was not starting off well. She started off early, trying to beat the midday heat. She'd completed her regular gardening and some of the cleaning before heading into the market.

She'd intended to get milk early and make it back to her tiny hut in District 53. She'd made her way to the market quickly, finding the vendor for goat's milk and handed over her two coins.

About that time, someone grabbed her roughly on the shoulder and pulled her back. "Chiba? That you?" the man asked.

Hana moved with reflexes and dislodged her shoulder from his grasp. But when she stopped and looked at the man, she grew pale and felt sickly.

The man was at least a foot taller than her, and she imagined he could crush her with his thumb. It was only made worse by the way he'd dressed. The black and white shihakushu of the shinigami.

The shinigami were law in Rokongai. They had strength and kido, and social powers the likes that she would never have. They guided souls to Soul Society and freed tortured souls known as hollows.

The man looked at Hana confused. He had recognized her, but from where, she couldn't tell. And how he knew her name could be explained easily since there is a list of all souls that enter Soul Society. But he seemed familiar with her.

"Hana?" he asked looking confused, his voice grew softer, "It's me, Ryota."

"Do I know you?" she asked being sure to keep her distance, her mild forgotten.

"Yeah," he said, he was convincing in how well her believed himself, "We were in kendo class together. Remember?"

"I've never learned kendo in my life," Hana said.

The shinigami grew irritated, "Don't mess around Chiba, what are you doing out here?"

"I'm not messing around," Hana declared with bravery, "I was getting milk and going back to my hut."

"Oh?" he asked with continued irritation, "And where is that?"

"I'm not going to tell you where I live," she suddenly feared that he might follow her home.

He became very serious, "Fine, you're coming with me."

Hana rubbed her forearm, when she'd tried to get away, he'd grabbed her hard. She could see the bruise forming from each of his fingers. She was thankful that he had not locked her in a cell and shackled her, though she could imagine that being their next step.

It wasn't long before another shinigami entered and asked her questions. This shinigami was nicer and she was a Captain. Captain of the Fourth Squad. She asked her name and other details. She had a gentler appeal to her than Ryota did and she only asked a few questions.

"How long have you been in Rokongai?"

"Six years."

"Your age at death?"

"Nineteen."

Other questions that Hana didn't understand. The woman thanked her and left.

Hana wished she could leave. She felt confused, a little scared and she was certain she hadn't done anything wrong. She was just buying milk.

The door flew open, and Hana nearly jumped out of her seat. The man that entered looked man at first, but when he looked at her his eyes and face suddenly softened and he seemed frozen as he stared at her.

Hana suddenly became aware of her raggedy old clothes and dirty bare feet. She looked down at the table afraid.

The man didn't look away from her as he closed the door, he slowly moved to the seat across from her and watched her for a few moments longer.

"Hana?" he finally asked, and she could swear there was a pain in his voice, "Is it really you?"

Hana looked up for a moment, then back to the table. "My name is Hana." she confirmed.

"Hana Chiba?" he asked slowly as if to grasp the concept.

Hana nodded. _What do they think I've done?_

"Hana," he said quietly, making her look up at him for a moment, "Do you know who I am?"

She took in his image for a moment. Black shaggy hair, grey eyes that stared back at her, three long scars down ones side of his face, 69 and a light blue bar were tattooed on the other side. The blue bar crossed his cheek and covered just over the bridge of his nose. His sleeves were torn off, showing off his lean, but well-toned muscles. A lieutenant's badge on one shoulder and an armband on his other arm that matched a choker around his neck. He was a lean man and Hana tried to stop herself from finding him attractive, but she failed and blushed with the thought.

"You're Lieutenant of the Ninth Squad?" she asked more than answered. She didn't know what the right answer was and she didn't know what they thought she had done, but she was sure she hadn't done anything to get into trouble.

"Yes," he said looking disappointed, "My name is Shuuhei Hisagi."

Hana sat quietly worrying about her situation, afraid to say anything.

"You don't remember _anything_?" he asked in disbelief.

"What am I supposed to remember?" she asked, her deep blue eyes like deer in the headlights as she looked to him in concern.

"I-" But he stopped himself, it was obvious to Hana that he was trying to remain calm.

"What is it that you think I've done?" she asked meekly trying to understand.

He sighed heavily and leaned forward. When he spoke Hana could feel his gentleness and something else, "You haven't done anything."

"May I go?" she asked.

He looked surprised and he nodded solemnly.

Hana stood warily and stepped towards the door, but was stopped by his voice.

"Miss Chiba," he said being suddenly respectful, "May I escort you home?"

Hana looked at him with concern, she didn't understand this man, but he seemed like he was trying to be nice to her after all the confusion. She gave him a half-nod, "Okay."

…

The walk home was a long one quiet one. Hisagi had to fight the urge to reach out for her. He wanted to touch her, to get back what he had cared about so deeply. How could she not remember? After all that had happened, how could she not know him?

He felt torn, his chest ached with the effort of keeping his distance, and he knew if he tried to reach out to her, she would reject him. She seemed to be almost afraid of him, and as they walked, he noticed the bruising that was slowly surfacing on her arm. He wondered about it, but he didn't say anything.

She paused for a moment at a cross-section of road.

"Are you lost?" he asked watching her.

"No," she said, her voice quiet, "It just- Nevermind." And she continued walking.

"What?" he asked.

"It's nothing," she said wishing urgently that she had her two coins back. But she would not complain in front of the shinigami. She already felt like she was less than them, she would not allow herself to show even more, how poor she was.

He watched her as they kept walking. All the way out to the far West side of Rokongai. District 53. One of the poorest. He had to stop himself from frowning. He remembered what it was like out there, in the far off districts. He remembered what it was like to be hungry all the time and how hard it was to find clothes.

The district gave him a much better understanding as to her situation. He felt guilty that she had to live that way. He wondered how long she'd been in Soul Society. He knew that she had never gone back to her body. Urahara had kept it, but no soul ever entered into it. Finally they decided she was dead, but no one knew where her soul went. And now that they knew where her soul was, what would they do?

Living in District 53 was rough, and it had been rough on Hana. She was abnormally skinny, from under-eating or starvation, and she wore no shoes. Her clothes where torn and ragged, with perma-dirt staining it. He was thankful that she smelled of soap, though. And her hair looked clean. That meant that she was able to at least afford some things.

By the time she stopped again, they stood in front of a very small hut, most likely with only one room. There was a small garden next to the hut, but the heat of the summer was working the moisture out of the ground and many of her plants looked wilted.

"Thank you for walking me back," she said quietly then tried to retreat quickly into her hut.

"Wait!" he said, trying not to let her run off so suddenly. He felt like he was losing her again, after just having found her.

She stopped at the doorway and turned to look at him.

He stood for a moment, just staring at her. Drinking in her eyes and wishing he could keep her.

"What?" she finally asked after some time.

He wasn't sure what he was trying to say or ask, but he couldn't let her go. He couldn't let this be the last time he saw her. He wished desperately that she would remember. Remember something, anything. But he couldn't think of anything to say and just turned and walked back towards Seireitei and the Academy. He did, after all, have classed today.

…

Hana stared as he walked away. That was the strangest interaction she'd had in the entire time she'd been in Soul Society. No one from Seireitei had ever shown interest in her. And now she learns that so many of them are familiar with her. It was strange, and scary.

She spent the afternoon tending to her small garden. She'd taken her two buckets to the stream, but the heat had nearly emptied it. She filled her buckets with the muddy water that remained in the creek-bed and lugged them back to her hut.

She spread the mud evenly over her plants, hoping the water in the mud would supply life to the dying plants. As she worked she thought about the strange day she'd had. _ Why were so many shinigami interested in me?_

She couldn't find an answer. She didn't understand the situation. And it scared her a little.

Her mind wondered back to the Lieutenant. He was very kind to her, and seemed so familiar with her, that if she didn't know better, she'd say he knew her. But that was impossible. The shinigami had never had interest in her.

His grey eyes were soft and his voice deep. She remembered when she had looked him over, the attraction she had felt towards him. She blushed a little, even though she was alone. He really was attractive.

_A man like that would never be interested in a poor woman. Especially me. _

But still her mind kept wandering back to him every now and then.

Those blue eyes watched him in his sleep. He saw her frozen in time, moments before what he had thought was her death. Then she dies and he wakes again in a sweat.

The hot shower felt good on his skin and he felt like he could melt away with the water. He felt haunted by the last moments he had been with her before her death. He remembered how long these dreams had haunted him before. It was more than a year before he had a good night's sleep. And even longer before he felt like he could have any moment of happiness again.

He had loved her. He knew that now. He hadn't told her. He really didn't know it then, how much she really meant to him. But he realized after she was gone.

And now, she had come back into his life without even knowing his name, or recognizing his face. It tore him up inside for her not to know who he was. And even if she did remember, she had very little reiatsu, and would likely never be able to live within Seireitei with him. It wouldn't be fair to her either, to have her with him, and unable to interact equally with others. She would never be happy.

But he wasn't happy. He felt twisted up inside. He didn't know what to do. He knew what he wanted, and part of him knew she would be happy with him leaving her alone, but he just couldn't let things rest.

Once he was dressed he was decided, he was going to find her again. This time he was going to tell her everything. He would make her understand how she'd made him love her before. And he hoped that she might remember him.

"Hisagi," his captain called him as he was leaving.

Hisagi stopped, turned and bowed to his superior, "Captain."

"Will you please come into my office," his captain requested. His usual serious demeanor a little kinder than normal.

Hisagi sat across from his Captain, Kensei Muguruma took a deep breath before approaching the topic of conversation he intended.

"Hisagi, I know Hana Chiba is here," he told his lieutenant, "And I know that she doesn't remember anything from before."

"That's correct."

Muguruma knew how much this one woman had impacted his lieutenant, and he was trying to be kind, but it wasn't in his nature, so usually, any kind gesture came out butchered. "You can't see her."

Hisagi sat up straighter, he wanted to object.

"I'm sorry," Muguruma sighed, "It's not my orders. This one came straight from the Captain Commander."

Hisagi stared for a moment, his mouth open a little. His discipline kept him from saying anything more than, "Yes, sir. Understood."

He felt his heart sink, deep into the pits of his stomach. Someone else decided how this was going to happen.

"Hisagi," Muguruma added, "they think she's probably happier not knowing. That is the order."

Hisagi nodded. He rose and left the room.

It hadn't taken long for the news to spread. And he spent the next week avoiding the pitiful looks of those around him. At least he felt at ease knowing his Captain wouldn't bring it up, and his friends would let the subject rest.

But he couldn't let his thoughts of her go. He'd thought of her everyday for the last six years, at first she was all he could think about. But as time passed, he had come to terms with her absence, he'd become content not knowing.

Hisagi sighed, he couldn't concentrate on his work. He'd read the same report more than three times and he couldn't say what it was about.

He briefly wondered if it had been better when _he_ didn't know. Only a few days ago he had been clueless, and only by random chance had someone seen her, known who she was, and not known that she was to be left alone.

…

Hana finished cleaning up the kitchen. It had been a long night. Friday nights were usually the busiest at the little tea shop she worked in. She'd let the help go home earlier, leaving her to clean the dishes. She didn't mind it though, she wasn't in any hurry to go home.

By the time she locked the back doors, she could feel the weight of the day and she was suddenly tired. The sun had long since gone down and the full moon was high in the sky, giving her plenty of light to walk home by.

The cool night air felt good, compared to the heat of the day, and she was glad to enjoy it. She could hear the sounds of one of the sake places, there was jovial laughter and music. She smiled to herself as she listened to the music.

Her walk home was pretty far, she had been able to get herself hired on in one of the lower numbered districts and was thankful, because they paid better. And they were impressed with her, keeping a pair of clothes and shoes for work, only. They were clean and well-kept. The owners didn't mind so much, either. They could pay her less than people from their district and she did just as good as the rest of them, and wasn't opposed to taking shifts that no one else wanted.

She hadn't noticed anything out of place at first, but as she walked a sense of being followed grew inside her mind. She picked up her usual slow pace. But her sense of urgency only increased the further out she went.

She had made it to the edges of her district, and the feeling of panic was beginning settle deep into her mind. Even if she made it to her hut, there was no door to keep someone out and most people in her district keep to themselves, forsaking any commotion. She knew that if something happened she was entirely alone.

Then she could see the source of her anxiety. Somehow it had circled around her, and now stood in the road ahead. She stopped moving forward, and just stared at the large creature with its white mask a prominent hole in its chest.

"A hollow," Hana breathed in fear. She'd only ever seen one other hallow within Soul Society and understood that if they'd made it through the severed world and into Rokongai, it was very powerful.

She stood for a moment, frozen in indecision. Which way would she run? The only thing that could stop these creatures was the zanpakuto of the shinigami. And with no shinigami nearby, it would need to find interest in someone else before it would abandon her.

It howled, blowing the air up around her in a flurry of dust and hot breath. Hana covered her face with her arm, trying to keep the dirt out of her eyes.

The hollow's form was dark and obscured in the darkness of the night, but the mask was clearly marked and easy to see as moonlight hit its white surface. It was big, and round with swirled black lines around the edges of the mask.

Finally Hana was able to unfreeze herself, she turned and headed back towards the lower districts. The closer she got to Seireitei the more shinigamis there should be. Though, this was only her theory and never guaranteed to be true.

Adrenaline fueled her run and she surpassed her own expectations in speed. But the hollow followed at her heals, crossing the distance quickly and without much effort.

Her lungs burned with a need for oxygen, she could breathe fast enough to fill them enough. Soon she'd made it halfway back towards the teashop, and suddenly she realized it wasn't following her. She felt a way of relief as she leaned over, hands on her knees, trying to calm her body.

But before she had the chance to take in three breaths it came at her from above. She tried to move out of the way, but wasn't fast enough. She felt her left shoulder tear open and pain erupted throughout. She let out a scream and used her other arm to cover the wound that stretched from shoulder to elbow.

Blood dripped freely to the ground and Hana was sure it was over. If the hollow didn't finish her now, she would die of infection soon enough.

She stood to meet the hollow's eyes as it approached quickly, and just as the hollow opened its mouth to swallow her up she closed her eyes.

And then, nothing.

There wasn't a single noise. There were no jaws tearing her to bits, there wasn't the sound of splintering bone, and silence rang in her ears.

_Then as she opened her eyes, the rain started coming down. At first it was a light mist, but it quickly surmounted to a complete downpour. She looked around, the rain blacking out the sun, she could see nothing. The pain of her torn flesh left her mind and she stood in isolation and confussion._

"_It's been a long time," a woman's voice carried out of the rain._

"_What happened?" Hana asked, still confused._

_The woman stepped closer. Even though there was no light, Hana could make her out clearly. Long dark brown hair, a long Chinese style shirt and loose-fitting pants that gathered at her ankle. Hana could see her eyes, they looked like her own. The same deep dark blue that stared back at her from her reflection._

"_Hana," the woman spoke with bold self-importance, "It has been too long."_

"_Kaminari," somehow Hana knew her name, but she couldn't place how she had known, it was as if it had simply come to her._

"_Are you ready?" she asked Hana, "I have been ready for a long time."_

"_Ready for what?" Hana felt like she should know this woman, but every time she felt her grasp on it, it slipped away into the darkness of her mind again._

"_Take up your blade!" Kaminari commanded her, "Take me in your hand and slay this beast!"_

The rain was gone and Hana could only react as the hollow rushed her. She side-stepped, faster than before and a katana somehow in her hands now, she spun in what seemed like an instinctual motion, her blade cut deeply into the back of the hollow's head and sliced the mask.

She stared, unbelieving at the zanpakuto in her hands. Where had it come from? How had she known how to kill this hollow? Hana's hands began to shake as the adrenaline began to leave her system, and once again she felt the raging pain in her shoulder erupted and she fell to her knees.

She wasn't sure how long she'd lain on the ground, but finally she forced herself to her feet, groaning in pain the whole time. She felt dizzy and lightheaded, when she stood, she'd remembered the zanpakuto that had lain next to her, and had saved her life. She picked it up and headed back to her hut.

The walk seemed much longer than she had expected it to be, and the sun was already peaking over the horizon before she'd made it into the privacy of her hut.

She laid the zanpakuto on the small table and looked at it from her chair. She'd held her bleeding left arm the whole way home. She had grabbed her small sewing kit and set it on the table. She knew that to touch the wound very much would result in an infection and so she had set her needle and an amount of thread into a small cup with sake.

One-armed she pulled the stitches through her skin, pulling the edges together and protecting the exposed flesh. When she had finished, she wiped her arm with a small rag soaked in sake and took deep drinks of it to dull the pain.

Finally she laid down, letting exhaustion take her and she fell into a fast and deep sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

"District 38 was attacked last night," Muguruma informed Hisagi as they left Seireitei to investigate, "But no one knows where it went after that. And no shinigami has reportedly killed it, so it's probably still lurking."

They had walked out to the district to gather information and see for themselves the evidence in Rokongai. The afternoon sun seemed unrelenting in its heat as it beat down on them from above. Hisagi pitied anyone who had to work out in this heat, including himself.

When they arrived at the reported place they found the obvious attack signs of a hollow. The corners of stone buildings and clay shingles were heavily damaged. The small pool of blood rose Muguruma's eyebrows as he knelt down and put a finger into the blood stained earth. It was still damp, and the blood trail moved sporadically around the area before finally coming to rest at the small pool.

Hisagi interviewed a few residents and learned that none of them had known anything. He watched as his captain traced the movements of the hollow and shinigami. Footprints in the dirt made it easy to identify each move of the shinigami.

Muguruma felt out the reiatsu of the shinigami. It was weak and unfamiliar to him, but he could easily follow it, they weren't suppressing it at all. "Hisagi, send word to the Fourth Squad that they need to open a bed. This shinigami isn't headed back to Seireitei."

"What?" Hisagi asked, he looked concerned, "Where are they headed?"

Muguruma pointed in answer. Further out towards the East side of Rokongai.

…

Hana's sweat soaked her pillow, she'd thrown her blankets off and was curled in a ball on the futon. Her fevered dreams were confusing, a sea of images barraged her mind making it hard to tell which images were real. Which were memories and which were just dreams.

That man. The shinigami, Lieutenant Shuuhei Hisagi. His grey eyes, dark hair. She remembered the feel of his skin, the taste of a kiss. Then a clashing of blades. Her blade and then blades. The rain. Hollows. Her mother dressed in white. More rain. And then _him _again. Her mind couldn't make sense of it all. Who was the blond shinigami woman who made her laugh? And the red-headed Baboon King with tattoos on his forehead?

She felt pain, joy, fear, peace and an array of emotions in between. Nothing made any sense.

She opened her eyes, staring through blurred vision at the ceiling. Her mouth was dry. So very dry. She looked to the water bucket, next to the door. It seemed so far away. She pushed herself to her hands and feet, her shoulder throbbing and burning at the same time. She held her injured arm close to her as she slowly moved across the floor.

Cool water trickled down her throat, she'd lost any concept of time, but knew that it was no longer night. The heat of the day reminded her harshly as she curled on the floor next to the water bucket. The heat felt suffocating and her chest hurt with the effort to breathe.

She dipped her hand in the water, spilling it onto her face, and spilling the bucket on the floor. It spread out, soaking into the wood and her clothes. The coolness of the water felt good. And in a brief moment of clarity, she knew that the fever would take her soon. Her body could not fight off an infection so vicious as this. Her mind rolled back into images of the Lietenant. Hisagi watched her with interest, smiled at her.

…

Hisagi felt the sudden sickness of knowing where they were going as they entered into District 53. He could feel her uncontrolled, yet weakened reiatsu, even from this distance. He could feel something was wrong.

"Sir," he said stopping his captain, "You're not going to like this."

Muguruma studied Hisagi for a moment, "What is it?"

"It's her," Hisagi said, pointing to a far off hut, "She's in there."

Muguruma's face grew serious. By _her_, Hisagi had to mean Hana Chiba, and Hisagi had been ordered to stay away from her. Now he would help the lieutenant defy orders from the Captain-Commander.

…

Hana opened her eyes, she'd heard her name, but had it been in her mind? Or had it been real? _He_ was there, looking down at her, his face serious, his eyes worried. Another hallucination? She couldn't tell.

Her vision was bad, now and she could hear her pulse ringing quickly in her ears. She wasn't sure if he'd spoken or if she just imagined his lips moving. She was pretty sure it was real when he lifted her off the ground, but it all felt like a dream to her. Some weird thoughts that swirled in her dying moments.

Her arms burned with such intensity that she prayed it might fall off, and as he moved her with quick steps she moaned in pain. Who is this man with white hair? Was any of this real? Her head swam into blackness again

…

With every step he took, she groaned or flinched in pain. Her left arm was swelled and red, it was hot to the touch, but then every part of her was hot to the touch. How long had she suffered like this?

The reports stated hearing the commotion late in the night. And now it was early afternoon. With this kind of wound he was surprised and thankful, she'd made it so long.

Captain Muguruma had found the zanpakuto, it laid on the table, no sheath to be found. The unmistakable royal blue grip confirmed its ownership. It rested in his captain's waist band, hanging loosely.

A feeling of dreaded familiarity crept over him as they moved. How many times had he done this before? How many times had he almost lost her? And then, that time he had lost her. The tightness gripped his chest again and fueled him to move faster.

Captain Unohana looked almost shocked at the patient that was brought to her. She sent Hisagi and Muguruma away, telling them that it's harder to work with someone watching over her with such intensity.

"We must take this to the Captain-Commander," Muguruma said referring to the extra zanpakuto he carried, "He needs to be the first to see this. I don't think you should go, you should stay and see how this turns out. Report to me if there is any change."

Hisagi was thankful of his Captain's understanding. It was a permission, of sorts, permission to watch over this woman who didn't know him, who couldn't remember him. Part of him ached for her to remember him, all of him ached for her to live.

He'd been made to wait for an hour. Captain Unohana was handling this herself. It was important to her that Hana lived as well, and she understood Hisagi's urgency with the matter. Still, she wouldn't let him see her until she had done all that she could for Hana, physically.

…

For a moment, Hana wasn't sure if she'd fallen back into the hallucinations or if this was real. The man that had flooded her mind, sat only feet away. A chair had been pulled close to the bed and he sat, his body tense, arms folded, watching her.

He fought himself as part of him wanted to reach out to her. But he couldn't allow it.

"How are you feeling, Miss Chiba," he asked with formality and concern.

She looked over to her arm, there was a red line from shoulder to elbow, but the swelling, bloody infection was gone. She took inventory of the rest of herself. It seemed she was in pretty good shape, though she felt a little tired and weak.

"Miss Chiba?"

"I- I think I'm okay," she said, her voice felt a little detached still, maybe they'd given her something to help fend off any painful after-effects of the infection, "Just tired."

"Then I should let you sleep," he told her getting up from the chair.

"I dreamt about you," she said quietly to his back, she watched as every muscle tensed and froze in place, "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry," he told her, his voice soft and low as his eyes lowered to the floor, then he began to leave the room, "This wasn't your fault."

"My dreams felt so real," she called after him as he reached the door, he stopped again, listening to her, but she couldn't bring herself to say what she was thinking. She couldn't tell him that she dreamed of making love to him.

Sleep quickly overcame her again, but this time the dreams made more sense, they had an order and there was something so familiar to them. Why did she feel like she'd lived this dream? Why were her emotions so intense?

When she woke again, she was alone. She looked around the dark room and decided that the sun had gone down. She reached for the nightstand and fumbled for a candle and matches. The candlelight didn't fill the entire room, but it was sufficient for her to make out her surroundings. Something glinted in the light from across the room.

Hana slipped out of bed, a little wary at first. She waited for the momentary dizziness to pass before she moved across to the shining object. As she lifted the candle up to see what it was, she realized it was the zanpakuto. Kaminari.

She placed the candle on the table and watched the sword with a little apprehension. Finally she reached out, gripping the handle and feeling its life. As the flow of energy moved through her, she felt deep familiarity. Then the memories flooded back to her in a rush.

She lost all perception and didn't feel the floor come up to meet her until they had collided in a loud thud. Her hand gripped harder as she watched, in her mind, everything from start to finish. It happened in a flash and then it was gone, leaving her in tears and misery.

Guilt and sorrow flooded in and filled the place of not knowing, she couldn't escape this ever persistent cycle. And part of her wished her soul had perished after all the trouble she'd caused. But the look in his eyes when he'd seen her only a few days ago, for the first time in six years, that look told her that he still felt something for her.

She could feel the power Kaminari had as it vibrated through her still. She smiled at the beautiful creature and silently thanked her for this gift.

She held tight to her zanpakuto as she slipped out of the Fourth Squad. The moon was high in the sky again and she watched for just a moment to see where shinigami were patrolling. It didn't take her long to make it to the Ninth Squad, and she felt relief as the door to the barracks opened without resistance.

She felt a little bad about breaking in, but she needed to talk to him, she had to see him, and she didn't feel that she could wait.

She was silent as she crossed the mess hall. Hana smiled to herself as she remembered the times they'd dined with the rest of the squad. The conversations they'd all shared.

The hallway was empty as she moved past closed doors. And she paused right in front of his door. Her hand hesitated inches from the handle. She felt suddenly sad, she'd caused him so much trouble, she didn't want to hurt him again.

It was then that the large hand covered over her mouth and the reiatsu of the Captain of the Ninth Squad, Kensei Muguruma swallowed her in a rush of terror. She was still too weak, and she couldn't move as he leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Don't step through that door, unless you're certain," he told her, his voice a growling warning, "You can never go back once you turn the handle."

And then he was gone and Hana fell back against the wall behind her. For a moment she was confused, he was going to let her enter into the room of his Lieutenant, in the middle of the night? But he was right, this was the point of no return. She hoped that he would meet her with gracious acceptance, but she was afraid, after all the things she'd done, that he might not want her.

…

Hisagi watched the door. He had been awakened by her reiatsu and in his sleep he'd reflective reached for his zanpakuto. But now his fingers only barely touched it. He could feel her standing just outside his door. He imagined that she stood, frozen by whatever his Captain had said to her only moments ago.

He waited.

…

Hana turned the handle. The door creaked open and she quietly stepped inside. He was awake, she knew that. But how would he receive her?

"Shuuhei?" she called, her voice soft and timid.

There wasn't an answer. She could feel his reiatsu as he stood, as he walked over to her. Then she could feel his hands reach out to touch her arms as they rested at her sides.

She waited in fearful anticipation, every moment that stretched on felt like an eternity.

His hand followed her arm up her shoulder, gently touching the skin of her neck, and she felt the overwhelming rush of emotions as she tried to hold back tears.

"Shuuhei," she breathed, "I'm so-"

He didn't let her finish, his hand moved to the back of her neck and he pulled her to him, his lips stopping hers in an embrace he felt he'd waited a lifetime to feel again. The urgency of their kisses grew until finally he just held her tightly. He wouldn't let anything take her away this time.

"I love you," she whispered, her tears slipping slowly down her cheeks, her arms embracing him the same way he embraced her.

"I love you, too." he told her. The words were the keys to his freedom and the pain he'd felt from being kept away from her for so long, for losing her, it all washed away as he kissed her again.

That night, he held her in his arms and he swore to himself that he would do anything to keep her.


End file.
